Word Explorer
Children's Dictionary
Help
Help
Help
 
   
Lookup History
past

past

 
 
pronunciation:
paest
parts of speech:
adjective, noun, adverb, preposition
features:
Homophone Note, Word Explorer
part of speech: adjective
definition 1: gone by in time; ended.
The excitement of the project is past.
antonyms:
current, present
similar words:
previous
definition 2: having happened or gone by at an earlier time; former.
In past times, many people died young.
antonyms:
current, future, modern, present
similar words:
bygone, former, old, other, previous
definition 3: just ended; happened recently.
During the past hour, the phone has rung ten times.
antonyms:
next
 
part of speech: noun
definition 1: the time that has gone by.
We can learn from the mistakes of the past.
antonyms:
future, present
definition 2: history of a nation.
In this class, you will be studying America's past.
definition 3: a former time in a person's life.
When I think of my past, I realize how lucky I have been.
definition 4: the past tense of a verb.
"Had" is the past of "have."
 
part of speech: adverb
definition: so as to go by or move beyond.
He ran past and didn't stop to talk.
 
part of speech: preposition
definition 1: beyond in time; after.
It's five minutes past the hour.
antonyms:
before
definition 2: beyond in space.
The shed is past the barn.
antonyms:
before
similar words:
outside
definition 3: along a course that goes beside and then beyond.
Our neighbors' dog always barks at us when we walk past their house.
 
definition 4: beyond the number, amount, or degree of.
My aunt was past forty when she went back to college.
Homophone Note
The words past and passed sound alike but have different meanings. Passed is the past tense form of the verb pass, while past means "a time before now" (noun) or "in a time before now (adjective)."
Word Explorer
See
  history